Alternatives to Evernote: A comparison of digital notebooks

Whether you use notepads, sticky notes, or scraps of paper, most people make notes and to-do lists or note down appointment information only to lose them straight away. A useful tool to combat this is a digital notebook. Using one of these means that you can view all your notes at any time, and also access them on the go using your smartphone or tablet.

If you don’t know much about digital notebooks, you will soon find that Evernote is one of the most popular, widely used digital notebooks in the world. The downside: the most interesting tools and features are only included in the paid version. If the freeware version of Evernote is not good enough, there are other alternatives you can try out. This overview will help you discover alternatives to Evernote.

OneNote is a great alternative for those who have a lot of meetings, go to school, study regularly, or just benefit from note-taking in their everyday life. It is also the most widely used digital notebook worldwide. The biggest advantage: Microsoft offers the software in the Microsoft Microsoft 365 package, and is available to download for free. Even though Evernote offers the full range of functions in the fee-based package, the Microsoft freeware has the same range of tools and features as the paid Office version. This makes Microsoft’s OneNote an affordable, strong Evernote alternative.

Microsoft’s OneNote is similar to Evernote in terms of text formatting, drawing, and multimedia. With text formatting, you have all the tools (font size, font, color selection, etc.) at your disposal, which you will recognise from word processing programs such as Word. To draw, you can use predefined shapes like circles, rectangles, or arrows, or just draw shapes yourself. However, the program remains limited to essential tools.

When it comes to multimedia, OneNote goes even one step further: Not only can you include images, graphics, and screenshots in your notes, but you can also insert your own recorded voice messages or videos with the click of a mouse. Print your notes directly or save them in Word or PDF format. Another handy thing: you can place your notes wherever you want them. Whether left, right, up, down, or center – there is plenty of room on the whiteboard for your notes. In addition to the spell check, the integrated search function is especially useful.

You can also share your notebooks with your coworkers or friends via e-mail and invite them to create and share notes. This works through your free cloud account, where all your notes are stored. Microsoft offers each user 5 GB of free space for this reason. Microsoft 365 subscribers can increase their storage to a total of 1 TB.

Disadvantage: OneNote is a real all-rounder, but is particularly well suited to Windows users. On platforms like Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS the OneNote app is available, but sometimes the functions are limited. Mac users, for example, cannot use the direct audio or video recording for their notes. Many users also complain about occasional synchronisation errors.

Another disadvantage: You can only share entire notebooks with colleagues or friends, not individual notes. PDF documents can neither be edited nor commented on. The search function on Evernote is much better, thanks to the hashtags.

The digital notebook NixNote (formerly known as NeverNote) has been specially developed for Linux users. Since Evernote does not support this operating system, NixNote is considered the perfect alternative for Linux users. The software is also completely free and fully synced to Evernote.

Disadvantages: As similar as NixNote and Evernote are, there are still some differences. One of the most obvious of these is the limited functionality. While Evernote lets you share and comment on social media, add a passcode lock to apps, or search inserted images for text, NixNote does not. The popular freehand drawing function is only available with the original version. While the Evernote client is reliable overall, synchronisation errors do sometimes occur. Additionally, NixNote is only available in English.

What immediately stands out: Google Docs offers a comprehensive text editing tool. There are various tools available, which are recognisable from Word. From the huge variety of font sizes and styles, through different layout options to an extensive color palette, everything is there. You can then download the text document as a Word, OpenOffice, RTF, PDF, HTML, or ZIP file. In terms of multimedia, Google Docs is also versatile: In addition to text documents, you can also insert tables, pictures, drawings, as well as video and audio files. All changes are automatically saved and can be viewed in the history at any time (sorted by date).

But that’s not all! Google Docs offers a number of interesting tools and features that are way ahead of other digital notebooks. The voice function is also especially useful, and allows you to create and edit your text by voice input. All you need to do is to speak the text into the computer microphone and the text will appear on your screen immediately. This feature will work with almost all languages and saves the user a lot of time. Voice commands, like “select paragraph” or “go to the end of the line” however, only work in English.

Another useful tool is integrated web research. Click on the “Explore” tool and you can begin searching through the internet directly through Google Docs. The information you are looking for is filtered for you, and will appear in the right-hand column of your document with a short description and a reference to the source. For further information, you will be redirected to the corresponding website after just one click. In addition, you have the opportunity to search directly for bibliographies, pictures, or quotations.

This video will illustrate how Google Docs works:

Disadvantages: Google Docs, as well as other online office applications, have a big drawback because they only work with an internet connection. The voice input feature is only available in the Chrome browser. In addition, the voice input it not always error-free, so it may take several attempts. Overall, Google docs is more suitable for larger projects than for quick notes.

However, Stickies has a lot more to offer than classic sticky notes. The reminder function draws your attention to particularly important notes using a small audio alert. Additionally, the software offers the option of putting individual notes in the “sleep mode” for a certain time, thereby making them invisible. If you only require notes for a specific application (like your e-mail inbox), you can link them together. If you do this, the virtual sticky notes only become visible when you start the corresponding program.

Using this program can be quite challenging. You will have to go through the context menu every time you want to create a new note, which you can access by right-clicking the mouse. Then you select the color, font or font size, and set the reminder to sleep mode. All these settings can be changed individually through the menu. An attachable toolbar, like those found in other notebooks or Microsoft Word, does not feature here.

When it comes to multimedia, Stickies’ options are also somewhat limited. Stickies is mainly designed for creating quick notes in text format, which can be quickly removed like classic sticky notes. Therefore, extensive file attachments are unusual and sometimes cumbersome to create. However, at the expense of your PC memory, you can incorporate pictures, video, or sound recordings in your notes. It is also possible to forward your notes by e-mail.

Disadvantages: Even if there are benefits to digital sticky notes thanks to their simple structure, the functions are not nearly as extensive as Evernote or OneNote. Operating the program can sometimes be a little awkward, as previously mentioned. Additionally, you cannot create individual folders: Stickies creates individual, virtual notes, which are useful as quick, entertaining reminders. Another disadvantage of this program is that the Stickies version of Zhorn software is only compatible with Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8.

Proud is a task manager that you can use to organise your entire daily schedule. The app coordinates all tasks for your day, week, or year. This helps you keep track of important dates. However, the app does much more than just create simple to-do lists: Proud lets you set your own personal goals and monitor your productivity or time management. This app would make a suitable Evernote alternative for any workaholic who craves organisation.

At first, Proud looks like an ordinary task manager. Your tasks are gathered up in to-do lists, which you can then easily manage. Operation is kept simple – there are three big categories: task lists, the timer, and completed tasks. All three areas are differentiated by colour and each have a specific function.

First, create your tasks or notes and organize them into lists. You can create as many lists as you like and summarise them thematically. Next, you set the exact timescale for your tasks, with a deadline to complete them. You enter the date and either specific or vague time goals, and can include periods for break times. The timer will remind you when your tasks should be finished and when it is time for a break. If you need more time for a task, you can expand the selected time span (superpower function).

More information about Proud can be found in this video:

Disadvantages: Proud is an extremely strong option for the organisationally-inclined, however it comes at a price. For every Apple device you own, you have to buy the app separately, and it is twice as expensive for Mac users as for iPhone or iPad users. Additionally, Proud is less well equipped in terms of multimedia than Evernote or OneNote. Overall, the app is intended more as an organiser than an actual notebook.

What Proud lacks, Notebook offers: Write or record your notes, create checklists, add pictures to your notebook, video – or audio recordings – with Zoho’s notebook, you can capture your notes and thoughts in a variety of different ways. In addition, the app is completely free or charge and ad-free!

Tips and tricks for using Notebook can be found in this video:

Disadvantages: Although many notebook users are enthusiastic, the app has some weaknesses. These include the missing reminder function, occasional synchronisation errors, the lack of a web application, and the fact that PDF documents cannot be edited or commented on.